Term | Definition |
Energy | the ability to do work |
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) | consists of adenine, a 5-carbon sugar called ribose, and three phosphate groups |
Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) | consists of adenine, a 5-carbon sugar called ribose, and two phosphate groups |
Photosynthesis | the process that autotrophs use to convert the energy of sunlight into chemical energy stored in the bonds of carbohydrates |
Heterotrophs | organisms that obtain food by consuming other living things |
Autotrophs | organisms that make their own food |
Visible Light Spectrum | the different wavelengths of light that we see as the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet |
Pigments | light-absorbing molecules that plants use to gather the sun's energy |
Chlorophyll | the plants' principal pigment for gathering the sun's energy |
Chloroplasts | organelles in plant cell where photosynthesis takes place |
Thylakoids | saclike photosynthetic membranes inside chloroplasts which are interconnected are arranged in stacks known as grana |
Stroma | the fluid portion inside of chloroplast but outside of the thylakoids |
Electron carrier | a compound that can accept a pair of high-energy electrons and transfer them, along with most of their energy, to another molecule |
NADP+ (nicotinamide adanine dinucleotide phosphate) | a carrier molecule |
Chemical reaction | process in which reactants are transformed into products after passing through a high energy transition state |
Reactants | a substance that takes part in and undergoes change during a reaction |
Products | substances formed during a reaction |
Glucose | sugars generated by photosynthesis to produce complex carbohydrates such as starches, and to provide energy for the synthesis of other compounds, including proteins and lipids |
Light-dependent reactions | reactions that require the direct involvement of light and light-absorbing pigments |
Light-independent reactions | reactions do not require direct involvement of light |